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Bâtard is restaurateur Drew
Nieporent’s newest creation. Set in the former Corton space, Bâtard brings
together fabulous, eclectic food without any of the pretensions that usually
accompany this level of quality. This was our first dinner at Bâtard. It
certainly won’t be the last.

Chef Markus Glocker and Managing
Partner John Winterman bring their considerable talents to the team. Glocker’s
food draws upon a wide range of influences gleaned over years spent at some of
the top kitchens in Europe and the US. Most recently, Glocker ran the Gordon
Ramsay outposts in London and New York. Winterman spent time at Charlie Trotter
and Gary Danko before becoming maître d’hôtel at Restaurant Daniel in New York
City.

English
pea tortellini; burrata, caraway, pesto

On a cold winter night, Bâtard is
hopping. The space is open, but the room is much warmer than it was in its
former incarnation. There is a palpable sense of energy from the moment we walk
in through the door.

It’s Friday, and that can only mean
one thing. Champagne. This bottle of the 1989
Krug Collection is one of the very best I have had. The 1989 Collection is
variable in quality, and quite a few examples have been on the mature side. Not
this bottle. Its flavors are bright, focused and fresh for a Champagne of this
age, with the classic super-fine Krug texture that invites a second glass and
then a third as we look over the menu.

The wild mushroom tart is really
more of a deconstructed expression of a true tart, but it is absolutely
delicious just the same. I am less enthused with the octopus pastrami, a dish
that never seems to come together. If there is one critique of the food at Bâtard
it is that everything is a bit on the salty side. Nowhere is that more evident than
in the octopus pastrami. The promise of spring comes through in the English pea
tortellini, which are light yet intensely flavorful and deeply satisfying. A
second portion is ordered right away. I highly recommend the beef cheek
‘pot-au-feu’ for two, which encapsulates what Bâtard is all about. The flavors
are rich, bold and lusty. The ‘pot-au-feu’ could be served in any dining room
in New York, but the family-style presentation speaks to the pure joy of
comfort food.

Head Sommelier Jason Jacobeit has
put together a list full of tempting options. The list is organized by price,
which personally I find hard to navigate, as it is not easy to search for a
favorite producer or region. Nonetheless, there are plenty of options. It has
to be Burgundy. What else could it be in the space that housed Montrachet and
Corton? We consider Mugnier’s 2012 Chambolle-Musigny and Lafon’s 2011 Volnay
Santenots but finally settle on Jean-Marie Fourrier’s 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.- Jacques. Of course, the 2011 is
much too young to drink, but finding Fourrier is next to impossible, so we
can’t resist. The 2011 is deep, layered and seamless on the palate, with
striking aromatics, finely-sculpted fruit and superb balance. It needs another
decade in bottle, but is captivating, even at this early stage.

I rarely have dessert, but who can
resist rice pudding? Not me, that is for sure. Light and refreshing, the rice
pudding is the perfect ending to our dinner.

Readers who haven’t been to Bâtard
yet owe themselves a visit. Today, there is clearly a trend towards more
informal dining, driven in part by our collective desire to eat in more
contemporary settings. Sadly, it is too often the case that when the reins of formality are loosened, food quality drops as well. Bâtard’s version of ‘casual’ or
‘informal’ dining, however, preserves and enhances the values of top-notch
cuisine, but presents them in a more welcoming environment than was
the case a generation ago.